In the first article ("Pravda" No. 289) we cited the first and basic document with which workers desiring to get at the truth in contemporary disputes must acquaint themselves, namely: the party's resolution on liquidationism from December 1908.

Now we shall cite and examine another, no less important, resolution of the party on the same question, adopted three and a half years ago, in January 1910{41}. This resolution has particular significance because it was adopted unanimously: all without exception Bolsheviks, then all the so-called Forwardists, and finally (this is most important), all without exception Mensheviks and present-day liquidators, as well as all the "national" (i.e., Jewish, Polish, and Latvian) Marxists adopted this resolution.

We reproduce in full the most important passage from this resolution:

"The historical situation of the social-democratic movement in the epoch of bourgeois counter-revolution inevitably engenders, as a manifestation of bourgeois influence on the proletariat, on the one hand, the negation of the illegal social-democratic party, the belittlement of its role and significance, attempts to curtail the programmatic and tactical tasks and slogans of consistent social-democracy, etc.; on the other hand, the negation of Duma work by social-democracy and the utilization of legal possibilities, lack of understanding of the importance of both, inability to adapt consistently social-democratic tactics to the peculiar historical conditions of the present moment, etc.

An inalienable element of social-democratic tactics under these conditions is the overcoming of both deviations through the expansion and deepening of s.-d. work in all spheres of the class struggle of the proletariat and clarification of the danger of these deviations"{42}.

From this resolution it is clear that three and a half years ago all Marxists unanimously, in the person of all tendencies without exception, were obliged to recognize two deviations from Marxist tactics. Both deviations were recognized as dangerous. Both deviations were explained not by accident, not by the evil will of individual persons, but by "the historical situation" of the workers' movement in the epoch we are living through.

More than that. In the unanimous resolution of the party, the class origins and significance of these deviations are indicated. For Marxists do not confine themselves to bare and contentless references to collapse and decay. Everyone sees that in the heads of many supporters of democracy and socialism there reigns disintegration, loss of faith, despondency, bewilderment. It is insufficient to acknowledge this. It is necessary to understand what are the class origins of discord and disintegration, what class interests from the non-proletarian sphere nourish "disorder" among the friends of the proletariat.

And the party resolution three and a half years ago gave an answer to this important question: deviations from Marxism are engendered by "bourgeois counter-revolution," they are engendered by "bourgeois influence on the proletariat."

What then are these deviations, threatening to deliver the proletariat under the influence of the bourgeoisie? One of these deviations, connected with "Forwardism"{43} and consisting in the negation of Duma work by s.-d. and the utilization of legal possibilities, has disappeared almost completely. In Russia no one among s.-d. any longer preaches these erroneous, non-Marxist views. The "Forwardists" (including Aleksinsky and others) began working in "Pravda" alongside party Mensheviks.

The other deviation, indicated in the party resolution, is precisely liquidationism. This is clear from the references to "negation" of the underground and to the "belittlement" of its role and significance. Finally, we have the most precise document, published three years ago and refuted by no one, a document emanating from all the "national" Marxists and from Trotsky (witnesses better than whom the liquidators cannot present); this document states directly that "in essence it would be desirable to call liquidationism the tendency indicated in the resolution, with which it is necessary to struggle…".

So, here is the fundamental and most important fact which must be known to anyone wishing to sort out the contemporary disputes: three and a half years ago the party unanimously recognized liquidationism as a "dangerous" deviation from Marxism, a deviation with which it is necessary to struggle, which expresses "bourgeois influence on the proletariat."

The interests of the bourgeoisie, opposed to democracy, disposed generally in a counter-revolutionary manner, demand the liquidation, the dissolution of the old party of the proletariat. The bourgeoisie in every way disseminates and supports all ideas directed toward the liquidation of the working-class party. The bourgeoisie strives to sow renunciation of the old tasks, to "curtail," cut, hack away, gut them, to put conciliation or agreement with Purishkevichs and Co. in place of a decisive elimination of the foundations of their power.

Liquidationism is precisely the projection of these bourgeois ideas of renunciation and renegacy into the ranks of the proletariat.

Such is the class significance of liquidationism, indicated by the unanimous resolution of the party three and a half years ago. Such is what the entire party sees as the profoundest harm and danger of liquidationism, its destructive effect on the workers' movement, on the consolidation of an independent (in fact, not in words) party of the working class.

Liquidationism is not only the liquidation (i.e., dissolution, destruction) of the old workers' party, it is also the destruction of the class independence of the proletariat, the corruption of its consciousness with bourgeois ideas.

We shall clarify this evaluation of liquidationism plainly in the following article, in which the most important arguments of the liquidationist "Ray" will be cited in full. For now let us sum up briefly what has been said. The attempts of the "Rayists" generally, Messrs. F. Dan and Potresov in particular, to represent the matter as though all "liquidationism" is an invention, represent distortions astounding in their mendacity, calculated on the complete ignorance of readers of "Ray." In fact, apart from the party resolution of 1908, there exists the unanimous resolution of the party of 1910, giving a complete evaluation of liquidationism as a dangerous and ruinous bourgeois deviation from the proletarian path for the working class. To conceal or pass over this party evaluation can only those who are enemies of the working class.